1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable work supports, and more specifically to construction boards for handling mortar and measuring prescribed amounts for application in the field.
2. Background Information
Masonry work requires the use of a mixer, Portland cement, sand, adhesive and either brick, stone or tile. The materials are usually arranged on pallets and are gathered as the job presents itself to the mason. Depending of the set up time of the bonding material, a selected amount of bonding agent is mixed at a time and a selected amount of materials are generally laid out on the floor. The bonding materials are typically put in a bucket from the mixer prior to application.
In order to mix mortar in the field a standard ground supported mixer weighing over one hundred pounds is hauled to a site for the work. Mixers of this type are always needed in the field but provide an inefficient means for handling small amounts of bonding material. For grout, bonding adhesives and tile fillers the supplies are generally mixed in large buckets which are incompatible with the shape of a trowel when the user attempts to remove the material from the bucket. Quite often, this results in a loss of materials as they drop on the ground or harden in the corners of the container.
Masonry work is generally a sloppy job and the materials are often wasted or broken because there is no uniform dispenser as the job moves to completion. Buckets are normally filled from the top of the mixer and the excess water needs to be drained before the bonding material can be applied to the course. The brick or stone needs to be clean before the mortar is applied and sometimes needs to be cut with a saw.
Mixing boards which utilize replaceable or easy to clean mixing surfaces have been provided heretofore as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,137,482; 1,952,375; 2,369,898; and 3,734,486. The first patent above discloses an amalgam mixing board configured to address the problem of mercurial poisoning of a dental technician and oxidation contamination of the amalgam during its amalgamation process. Since its use in dental offices involves the mixing of very small amounts of materials immediately adjacent the patient where the amalgam is to be used, the reference construction is structurally inappropriate for the uses described above, in which materials are used in sizeable quantities, are themselves considerably heavy and bulky, and must be carried to car bodies, walls, etc., and held constantly during their application. The remaining three references disclose mixing boards of general interest.
There is a need in the field for a portable mixing and measuring tool for supporting bonding materials prior to application. There is a further need in the field for a portable support surface which assists the user in applying the bonding materials to the work. Another need in the field is a method of efficiently mixing, measuring and using bonding materials with little or no waste.